Revisiting the Stages of the Evolution of Human Eschatology in Transcendent Philosophy

Abstract

In Mulla Sadra’s philosophical wisdom, anthropology is considered one of the most fundamental principles addressing the human position. The use of an intra-religious descriptive method and the establishment of a relationship with the rational system of philosophical psychology are among the most essential approaches of “Transcendent Philosophy” (al-Ḥikmah al-Muta‘āliyah) in this regard. The present research aims to examine Mulla Sadra’s philosophical viewpoint on the issue of human position through his own philosophical approach. It explores the logical relations among Mulla Sadra’s ontological perspective—which overshadows his entire intellectual system—his epistemological framework, and his eschatology, as well as the interconnection among these three philosophical foundations with the stages of the human ascent (Qaws al-Su‘ūd). Eventually, this study will reexamine and analyze life-meaning theories from the foundational standpoint of “Transcendent Philosophy,” with a focus on key principles, such as the substantial and intensifying motion of the soul, human reality in attaining the ultimate degrees of intellect, and the perfection of the soul as an ontological paradigm of man’s transcendent station.